


More Than Just a Piece

by FromTheBoundlessSea



Series: The Umbrella Games [1]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Age Differences, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Diego Hargreeves Needs A Hug, F/M, Mentor/Protégé, Number Five is called Aiden here, POV Diego Hargreeves, POV Vanya Hargreeves, Pining, Pogo and Grace are married, Protective Ben Hargreeves, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Slow Burn, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Vanya and Five are biological siblings, honestly this will be painful, they weren’t raised together, we’ll spend a little more time in the Capitol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-11-16 14:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18095909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FromTheBoundlessSea/pseuds/FromTheBoundlessSea
Summary: Vanya White is excited for this year’s Reaping for no other reason except it would be her last. She wouldn’t have to worry about dying from anything besides hunger from that moment on. But then, a name is drawn and her wolf comes crashing down.Diego Kraken is done with the Capitol and their stupid Games. Forced to participate every year since he won and forced to watch children die year after year, his only solace is the Girl with the Bread. But, now, the Capitol is taking that away from him too.





	1. Vanya

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hirosikata](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hirosikata/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luthor Space – 24  
> Diego Kraken – 23  
> Allison Rumor – 24  
> Klaus Séance – 23  
> Aiden White (Number 5)– 21  
> Ben Horror – 18  
> Vanya White – 18

Vanya White shrank away from the Capitol cameras as they filmed her district in all its soot covered glory. It was nothing special. District 12 was one of the poorest districts. The poor camera people were new and this place had probably not been their hope when they chose their profession. They had other things they probably wanted to do, filming District 1 probably.

Besides, hardly anyone cared about the footage from District 12.

Tomorrow the Reaping would happen and, after, Vanya wouldn’t have to worry any more. Her seven slips of paper in the giant glass bowl would be removed and she wouldn’t have to be afraid of being picked ever again.

She shook her head and continued on her way to work. The bakery was her only solace. The owner and his wife had taken pity on her just after her older brother, Aiden, had disappeared five years ago. They had only noticed Vanya because she asked for the same sandwich every day and noticeably did not eat it. They asked what she was doing and she simply told them it had been her brother’s favorite and she was worried that he would be hungry whenever he got home.

They had taken her in as much as they were able. They gave her a job and the leftovers or mess ups at the end of the day. Since they had no children of their own (they had had a daughter but she had died from the same fever that had taken Vanya’s parents), Vanya was going to be given the bakery once they weren’t able to run it anymore.

Vanya set herself to work as soon as she stepped into the store. Some bread was already baking and now she just had to manage the counter.

For a little while, the Reaping could be forgotten.

—

“The usual,” a voice came from the opened door. Vanya didn’t have to look up to know who it was. Diego Kraken, one of the two victors from her district.

She glanced up at him briefly before hopping down from her stool to get his order, which was prepared for him at the beginning of the day since he came to the bakery every morning. His tanned skin was flushed slightly and Vanya was certain he was already drunk. His short black hair was ruffled and it made the large scar, one he had gotten in his Games, that ran from below his right eye and over behind his ear all that more prominent.

“Here you go,” Vanya said, whispered really, as she handed him his order.

He usually walked away (he didn’t pay until later when he was sober), but this time he leaned on the counter and glared at her. Vanya leaned back slightly, looking anywhere but toward him, not wanting to anger the victor.

“How old are you this year?” He asked.

What an odd question. “Eighteen.”

“Last year to be entered then,” he said dryly. “Lucky you.”

Vanya winced. “I suppose so.”

“How many slips do you have this year?”

“Seven.”

He nodded, but Vanya noticed his slight surprise. “I’ll see you after these wretched Games are over then.”

Vanya nodded, realizing she hadn’t been breathing. She let go of her now stale breath after he had left.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Diego, she didn’t know him. He was five years older than her, he had been a poacher, and he had won his games six years ago. Now, he was a victor that’d rather drink himself to oblivion. He wasn’t cruel, but he wasn’t kind. Vanya was quite sure that had been the longest conversation she had ever had with him.

“Vanya!” Grace, the baker’s wife, came from the back. “I found an old dress of mine for you tomorrow. I thought you might like to wear it.” The blonde woman held out a pretty white dress. “It’s your last Reaping. I want you to wear something special.”

“I don’t know, Grace…” Vanya fiddled with her sleeve. “I’m not…” She was going to say ‘pretty,’ but Grace was sure to argue with that. “Our body types are different,” was what she ended up saying.

“That’s why I need you to try it on real quick. It will just need to be taken in a little bit.” Grace sighed. “We need to get more meat on those bones.”

Vanya smiled. Wearing that dress would make Grace so happy. “Okay

Grace’s lips parted into a thrilled smile. “Pogo!” She called to her husband. “Watch the counter for a bit, I’m going to help Vanya with her dress!”

Pogo, stepped out from the kitchen and smiled. “Off you go.”

Grace pulled Vanya along to their bedroom and helped Vanya out of her regular clothes and into the dress. “Now, you come here early tomorrow morning and I’ll help get you ready. Then, you’re having a nice lunch with us to celebrate after the Reaping is finished. We’ll be where we usually are.”

Vanya simply nodded as Grace began to mark where the dress needed to be taken in. She glanced at her reflection and was a little surprised about how nice she looked. She looked almost pretty.

“Once this is all over we can finally put everything behind us.”

Vanya nodded. She wished Aiden were here. At least she had Grace and Pogo Sapien. After tomorrow, Vanya could have a little bit of peace.

—

She did as she promised and Vanya made her way to the bakery the morning of the Reaping. Grace prepared a nice, simple breakfast for her. The three are with little gusto, but they talked about this and that.

“I suppose that you’ll be looking at dating now that you’re out of your Reaping years,” Pogo teases at one point.

Vanya felt her cheeks flush. Most kids didn’t date too seriously until after their Reaping years. Some did, but most were too scared to. How would one feel if the love of their life got murdered on live television? Vanya couldn’t imagine it. She wasn’t popular with any of the boys around her age–she wasn’t pretty. She doubted many boys would line up to ask her on a date.

“Maybe eventually,” was the neutral answer she went with.

After breakfast, Grace helped Vanya into her dress. It fit much better than it had the previous day. Grace then helped comb Vanya’s hair and style it into a simple braid with a ribbon of white running through it. The woman put her hands on Vanya’s shoulders and smiled at their reflection in the mirror. “You look beautiful, Vanya. Your parents would be so proud.”

Vanya smiled gently.

—

At one o’clock, the three made their way to the square.

The square was one of the few places in District 12 that could be pleasant. On market days, the surrounding shops and good weather made the square have a holiday feel about it. But l, even with the Capitol’s bright banners, there are no holiday fuzzies, only an air of grimness. The camera crews perched like buzzards on the rooftops.

People filed in silently to sign in–a good way for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population. Twelve to thirteen-year-olds were herded into roped areas marked off by ages, the oldest in the front and the young ones toward the back. Vanya wondered if it was to protect the younger ones from the view of the camera. Didn’t want all those Capitol people to see all those children in mass. They might get a heart. Family members, or those that cared, lined up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another.

Then, there were some who didn’t care, taking bets on who will get Reaped. Canya would never (could never) show it, but she hated those people. They were worse than the Capitol people. At least people in the Capitol could feign ignorance. Those placing bets watched the families these Games tore a part and yet they sought to profit from it.

The space got tighter and more claustrophobic as people continued to arrive. The square wasn’t large enough to hold District 12’s population.

Vanya turned her focus onto the Justice Building and the temporary stage that had been set up for the Reaping. There were four chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls, one for boys and one for girls. I only had seven slips of paper in the girl’s bowl. Seven. It was more than younger kids had but it was less than what kids who live in the slums had. Seven. A safe number.

Two of the chairs were filled. One was filled by  Mayor Undersee and the other was Allison Rumor, District 12’s escort, fresh from the Capitol with her curly purple hair, her dark skin that somehow looked muted and a deep blue velvet dress. Vanya only knew it was velvet because she had seen the fabric once eight years ago. The two remaining seats were for District 12’s victors, who would come in when called for.

When the clock struck two, the mayor stepped up to the podium and began to read the same thing he did every year: the history of Panem. Considering it was the same thing every year, Vanya would have thought that the mayor would have had it memorized by now. Then he went into the Dark Days, the uprising against the Capitol, the defeat of 12 and the obliteration of 13. Then, the beginning of the Hunger Games.

Vanya could understand punishment. She could understand wanting to squash rebellion, no matter how justified it was. What she didn’t understand was making the districts treat the Hunger Games as a festival. They made the districts view the murder of children as fun. It made Vanya’s stomach twist.

“It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks,” the mayor finished.

Then, he read off the lift of past District 12 victors. In seventy-four years, there had only been two. Diego Kraken and, before him, Luther Space. When they came in, they didn’t raise their hands or even acknowledge the hesitantly clapping crowd. It was well known that they didn’t like each other. The two were as different as night and day. At least Diego wasn’t drunk this time.

The mayor (re)introduced Allison Rumor to the crowd to begin the Reaping. As bright and bubbly as ever, Allison Rumor strutted to the podium and gave her signature, “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your fair!” She went on about how honored she was to be there, although everyone knew she was hoping to get bumped up to a better district, just as the camera people were.

“Ladies first!” Allison Rumor went to the glass ball with the girls’ names. She reached in, dug her hand deep into the ball, and pulled out a slip of paper. The crowd drew in a collective breath. Allison Rumor crosses back to the podium, smother the slip of paper, and read out the name in a clear voice. “Vanya White.”


	2. Diego

Once, before Aiden disappeared, before he lost his best friend Patch, before his Game, before he became the thing he was today he had been in a blind in a tree outside the District, hunting. The game had been slow, but it had been the middle of winter and people needed food and he needed money. He had dozed off and fell ten feet onto his back. The impact had forced what little air was in his lungs out. He wasn’t sure how long he had stayed their struggling for breath.

It was the same way Diego felt when he heard Vanya’s name called.

No one ever noticed Vanya. It was one of the most remarkable things about her, really. She was so ordinary that people often overlooked her. She was simply a part of their everyday lives. She was a constant that everyone simply accepted to always be there. Then, she would do something so simple, so human, that she would become the world for just a moment before fading into oblivion.

But she never faded for Diego. It’s why he checked on her when Aiden, the _bastard_ , went missing. It’s why he came to the bakery every day when he wasn’t forced to go to the Capitol. It was why he had finally started to breath again because, after this year, she would have been safe.

They–She–would have a future.

Her name had only been in there seven times.

Seven.

“Sorry, Number Two,” Luther muttered next to him. His fellow victor was the only one who knew about his care for the girl (that was probably not true, the Sapiens probably had their suspicions). Luther Space cared about her too. They’d both been distant friends of Aiden. Both had been pissed that he’d up and left his sister alone. Both had been trying to look after her from afar.

Diego had just cared a little more.

He watched as Vanya began to step towards the stage. She was beautiful. Her hair was braided simply and her white dress fitted nicely, such a contrast to the dimness and the soot that the rest of District 12 was known for. She looked so pure, so innocent.

The Capitol would eat her alive.

It took everything in Diego to not scream and beg for a redraw. It took everything in him to not run with her to figure out wherever the hell Aiden went and keep her safe there. But he couldn’t. He’d ticked the Capitol enough as it was. If he made a scene now–a scene around her–it would only hurt her in the long run.

She stepped up to the stage and Allison coos about how pretty she is and asked the audience for a round of applause for their girl tribute. To their credit, no one in District 12 clapped. Not even the people who had been placing bets on who would be drawn. They all stared up at Vanya in a mix of awe and horror.

Vanya White has been a part of their every day for years. Vanya White had helped them with their homework. Vanya White has given them some of her extra loaves of bread. Vanya White always asked how they were doing and seemed to actually care about what they had to say. Vanya White who played the violin at festivals and played music so beautiful that even the birds stopped to listen. Vanya White has been a constant that everyone had accepted as someone who would simply always be there.

But now, everyone knew that she was going to die. Everyone knew that they were going to have to watch her die. Vanya, their one constant of normalcy and kindness, was going to be killed for the entertainment of people who didn’t know her and would never understand how her understated kindness had helped too many people than they themselves realized.

There is silence and it is perhaps the only amount of descent any of them can manage.

They did not condone this. This was wrong.

Then, the unexpected happened.

At first it was one, then another, then almost everyone present from their district touched the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and held it out to her. It was an old and rarely used gesture in their district.

It meant thanks.

It meant admiration.

It meant goodbye to someone you love.

Vanya blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay and, to her credit, she managed to do just that. She probably didn’t understand how many people she had touched in her eighteen years of living.

This was the only way any of them could let her see how much they cared.

Hesitantly, Vanya pressed her three middle fingers of her left hand to her lips and held them out to everyone in the district. He knew her gesture was mainly to Grace and Pogo, but it was to everyone else too. He knew it was for Aiden, where ever he was, as well.

Diego had never been more angry at him. He should have taken Vanya with him.

Allison pulls the crowd together once more and draws the name of the boy tribute. It was a Leonard Peabody, but Diego had no idea who that was. The boy come onto the stage and she reintroduces the two victors of District 12 for the 74th annual Hunger Games. There are a few claps, but most are silent. The Treaty of Treason is read. The two tributes shook hands. The anthem of Panem played.

But Diego didn’t pay attention. He just needed to think. He just needed to think of a way to get her to survive. He would do whatever any higher power, even the Capitol, wanted if it meant he could just keep Vanya alive.

—

Vanya White had simply been Aiden’s kid sister when Diego was growing up. He’d see her occasionally whenever he or Luther came to pull him from his books so they could go hunting. He’d see her occasionally at school. He’d noticed her, but he never actually looked at her. He’d never really _seen_ her.

That all changed when he was fifteen and she was ten. Looking back on it now, it was probably a weird age to notice her, but it had been innocent back then. They’d both been innocent back then.

He’d been out poaching with his dad, something he rarely did. Even before his dad kicked the bucket in the mines, the two of them rarely interacted. He taught Diego how to hunt and proved for himself, but that was it. During the hunt, he’d managed to injure himself. A bad gash on his shoulder he had stupidly decided to not tell his father about.

He’d stumbled about in the slums of the district, trying to think of how to get home while bleeding out. Diego had managed to get part way home when he collapsed. He’d felt so very cold.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been there, but it had started to rain. Then, he felt someone dragging him along and Diego blinked his eyes open to see little Vanya White dragging him to a place under an awning where they’d be safe from the rain. He managed to help her a little but he had no clue what she planned on doing to help. She had no parents. They’d died years ago. All she had was Aiden and even with the weird friendship he had with the guy, there was no way he was putting himself or his sister in danger for helping Diego, who had very obviously gotten injured poaching.

“Ou should head home now,” Diego told her after they had successfully managed to lean him against one of the slum buildings out of the rain. “Aiden’s probably wondering where you are.”

“You’re hurt though,” she said it so softly that the words melted into the rain.

“I am, but you don’t need to worry about it.”

She chewed her lip carefully in deliberation before nodding her head. Vanya stood up and walked away quickly. Her pale dress stained with his blood.

Diego closed his eyes and waited for himself to bleed out. The wound wasn’t really all that bad it was just cold and he hadn’t eaten in a while and he was just bone tired. He had started to nod off when he felt something warm press against his lips.

He opened his eyes to find Vanya pressing a small loaf of bread to his lips. Hesitantly, Diego opened his mouth and took a bite. The bread practically melted in his mouth. He took it from her hand and began to devour it. In his need he didn’t notice Vanya taking out some medical supplies. She pulled down the collar of his shirt to inspect the wound and hummed to herself as she started to clean it.

“How do you know how to do this?” He asked. She was only ten after all.

“My mom knew how to and she showed me.” The _before she died_ but went unsaid, but Diego got it. He didn’t have a mom either.

They didn’t talk much after that. She patched him up and told him he needed to keep it clean. Vanya helped him up and hovered for a moment, trying to decide what else to do.

“I’m fine,” he told her. “You can head home.”

She looked up at him with her wide dark eyes and nodded. After a few days he saw her again and she didn’t say anything about what had happened and he wondered if she even remembered that it was him.

He’d always thought about approaching her and thanking her. He’d always thought about trying to do right by her. He remembered her in her pale dress, her pureness stained red with his blood. He wanted to protect her.

He was still a good kid at that point.

Then he got Reaped.

Then he got Patch killed.

Then he got blood on his hands.

Then he became a murderer.

Then he came home.

Then he didn’t deserve her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. Diego has feels but he’s in slight denial.  
> Also, Luther will be less of a jerk here.  
> Any guesses on where Aiden is?  
> And how convenient is it that Vanya would have SEVEN slips of paper in the glass bowls?


	3. Vanya

The Peacekeepers escorted Vanya and the boy tribute, Leonard, into separate rooms of the Justice building. She had never been inside before and felt out of place. The rooms were fancier than anything she had ever seen. Vanya hadn’t even been aware of the fact that rooms like this were even in District 12.

This was when family and friends of the tributes could come and wish they goodbye. Vanya only had Grace and Pogo. She didn’t really have friends. Aiden was gone. Tears began to prick her vision and she felt warmth begin to pinch her nose as she tried not to cry. She didn’t want Grace or Pogo to see her cry. She didn’t want that to be the last thing they remember about her in person.

The second Grace and Pogo enter the room, the woman rushed to Vanya and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Vanya pressed her face against Grace’s collarbone and hugged her tightly.

“You’re going to be okay,” Grace whispered to her. “You’re going to be okay.”

Vanya’s eyes began to sting as Pogo wrapped his arms around both of them. They’d lost a baby already. Now they were going to lose her too.

Grace pulled away and cupped Vanya’s face in her hands, using her thumbs to brush the nonexistent tears from her cheeks. “You’re going to be okay,” the woman repeated. “Vanya, you have to promise me that you’ll try.”

Vanya sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. She had no illusions about winning the Games. It was by pure chance that District 12 even had two victors. Most of the Game victors were from the richer districts where they saw it as an honor to serve as tributes. They grew up training for the Games and volunteered for them. They almost always won. Vanya didn’t stand a chance against them. She wasn’t like Diego or Luther. She wasn’t been a poacher. She didn’t know how to kill. She didn’t have any abilities that would make her a good competitor.

“I promise,” Vanya whispered.

“Listen to whatever Diego or Luther tell you,” Pogo said. “They’ll keep you safe.”

Vanya nodded. It was their job to mentor her and her fellow tribute in how to win the Games. People in the Capitol liked Luthor. He was charismatic when he wanted to be and had won his Games fair and square. People in the Capitol didn’t particularly like Diego. People said he won based on a fluke, but he had played the Games as fairly as one could.

They were her only hope for not dying immediately.

The couple hugged Vanya one more time before the Peacekeepers led them out. There was no one else who would visit her. She wondered what it had been like for Diego and Luther when they had been Reaped.

—

The train was even more luxurious than the Justice Building. Vanya and Leonard were each given private rooms and told to clean up before they are dinner. It would take them a day to reach the Capitol.

Allison showed Vanya where the shower was and advised that she use it.

Vanya knew what a shower was, but she had never used one before.

Hesitantly, Vanya undressed and slipped into the shower. Carefully, she turned on the hot water and yelped at the spray of water that descended upon her. It took her a moment to figure out how to regulate the temperature, but after she did, Vanya was in heaven.

She washed her hair and washed her body under the spray and she had never felt so clean before. Vanya closed her eyes and lifted her head as the water slid down her body. It was soothing.

When she was younger, her brother told her that he had seen a waterfall just outside of the fence that lined the District. He told her it was beautiful.

‘The water never ends,” he’d said. ‘It just went on and on and on.’

‘I want to see a waterfall!’ she had squealed. ‘Take me! Take me!’

He gave her his lopsided smirk. ‘When you’re older.’

He never did.

Vanya looked down at her feet and blinked the tears away. Then, she realized there was no reason to hide them anymore. She was alone right now.

Slowly, she crouched down, wrapping her arms around her folded legs, and buried her face in her knees and sobbed.

—

As they all ate dinner, Allison played the recording of the other Districts’ Reapings. All of the tributes that year were older. Vanya felt a little released that there were no twelve, thirteen, or fourteen-year-olds. She didn’t think she could handle the thought of having to watch little kids dying. She could barely stomach it when it was through the lense of a camera.

Vanya glanced at the other occupants of the table. Allison was touching up her makeup. Luther was eating quietly, although he answered the questions Leonard asked him. Her fellow tribute was immediately interested in going into possible ways of survival. It was smart to ask Luther. He was big and powerful.

Diego was barely eating anything and was drinking instead. Vanya shrank into herself. Grace and Pogo said Diego and Luther would help keep her safe, but neither of them cared about her. She knew that they had sort of been friends with Aiden and Diego came to the bakery a lot, but that was it. They had no reason to help her other than it being their job.

If they were smart, they’d put all their attention on Leonard. He was a little good looking and was the son of the District’s butcher. He knew how to handle a knife. He had the best chances of winning.

Girls from the lower Districts rarely won anyway.

Vanya remembered Eudora Patch, the girl who had been Reaped with Diego. She’d been nice and strong and brave. Vanya had thought that she would be the one to win that year’s Game. But then she didn’t.

Vanya shuddered. Girls always seemed to die horrifically in the Games. She wondered, briefly, if it was because they were the ones who could have children. It was like the Capitol was telling the Districts to look and see that they were killing the possible mothers of rebels. Squash out that possibility before it could even come to light. The Capitol needed men to work. Rarely did they need women. But the Capitol always made sure there were enough children in the District. Everyone got married eventually and everyone tried having a child just once. They made sure of that. Vanya’s stomach twisted.

Vanya also heard rumors about what did happen with girl victors after their Games. She chewed her bottom lip and shuddered.

She glanced at Diego and saw that he was looking at her too. Vanya tried smiling at him, but he looked away and Vanya felt so very much alone.


	4. Diego

She smiled at him. It was the embodiment of everything that she was. It was gentle and kind and everything that would get her killed in the Games. Diego had to look away. 

Luther had noticed the small exchanged and scowled at him. They had both agreed that they would attempt to get Vanya out of this alive. Luther would focus on her publicity and Diego would work on her strengths and weaknesses in combat. Diego wasn’t even certain that she had strengths when it came to fighting.

But that didn’t matter. 

He had to try. 

He had to try and maybe, just maybe, if and when she died, he’ll know he did everything in his power to try and make that not happen. Then, when he gets back to District 12, he can follow her without any guilt. 

After dinner, Allison sat them down on one of the couches and began to go over the schedule. It was more for the tributes’ benefit since the behind the scenes stuff rarely changed year to year. 

They would go to the Remake Center and get a makeover, eat and then go take part in the Opening Ceremony. Then they’d go to the Training Center to eat and sleep. 

Then, they would train for three days, so some promotional material with some photo shoots and all those little things that drive the Capitol wild. At the end of the third day they would be evaluated by the Gamemakers. 

They would be allowed to train for a few more days and then have their final makeover and then the final interviews. 

Then, the Games would begin. 

It was somewhere around promotional material and the evaluation that Diego felt something rest against his shoulder. He looked down and saw Vanya had fallen asleep and she had leaned against him in the process. Diego’s heart clinched. She looked even younger in her sleep. But, he supposed, he probably did too.

Vanya nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder and murmured something nonsensical in a breathy voice. Diego’s lips twitched into a short smile. He would be lying if he didn’t say he occasionally dreamed of something like this. It was on the nights he passed out drunk, numb, the nights were, when he had gotten his sandwich, they had talked for brief moments in time. 

He glanced up and saw Luther watching both of them. His blue eyes looked at Vanya for a long moment. Diego knew that look. He was forming a plan. His gaze turned to Diego. They stared at each other for a long minute while Allison continued to go on about the schedule and answered the questions Leonard posed to her. Luther jerked his chin to the door. 

Diego nodded. 

He slipped off the couch, making sure to hold Vanya’s head steady so she wouldn’t hurt her neck. He carefully slipped his other arm under her legs, making sure to gather her skirt under them and slowly rose to pick her up and hold her to his chest. 

“I am talking,” Allison huffed. 

“I’ll fill her in tomorrow,” Diego almost growled out the words, but Vanya pressed her face against his chest and he could feel her lips even through the thick fabric of his shirt. “Goodnight.”

He took Vanya to her room, it had been his when he had first traveled on the train. Diego began to wonder if she had eaten enough. Had she drunk enough. Did she feel comfortable in her room? He couldn’t ask her any of those things at the moment.

Diego was able to maneuver Vanya into bed and under the covers. He pulled them over her and tucked her in. She mumbled in her sleep again and Diego noticed a tear slide down her cheek. 

Without much thought, Diego leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll protect you,” he whispered against her skin. “I promise.”

—

“NO!” Diego shot up in his bed with a roar, his hand reaching for Vanya, but of course she wasn’t there. It had only been a dream. 

He’d had the dream often, but it was usually Patch that haunted him. His friend. His best friend. His only friend outside of Aiden and Luther. He dreamed of her on nights he was sober, nights like that one. 

But instead of Patch it had been Vanya. The bird mutt’s beak slicing through her neck, cutting off her screams for him. Her body limp in his arms. Him not being able to save her. Him not being able to tell her that he was going to follow her soon. Him not being able to tell her in life how much she means to him.

Diego flinched when his door slid open. He looked up and saw Vanya standing in his doorway. Her eyes were wide and her breaths were labored. He’d forgotten that their rooms were so close together. He wondered if anyone else heard him cry out. 

“Are you okay?” She asked breathlessly. 

Diego nodded. “It was just a nightmare.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry for waking you.”

She shook her head. “I was already up. I…” she chewed her bottom lip. “I have them too sometimes.”

She wasn’t looking at him anymore, choosing to instead focus on her bare feet. 

Diego watched her for a long moment. Her hair was loose and she was still in her white dress that Diego was almost certain was Grace’s. She looked like an angel. 

“Still, I’m sorry.”

She just nodded. “Any advice to keep the monsters at bay?” She looked at him then. 

“I have a dog back home,” Diego admitted. “He usually sleeps with me.”

She nodded again. “Does it help? The company, I mean.”

“Yeah, it does.”

“I used to go sleep with Aiden when I had nightmares as a kid.”

“What did you do after?”

“Didn’t sleep.”

Diego wanted to find Aiden even more now and strangle him. 

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

Why did he ask that?

Abort. Abort. Abort. Abort!

She was silent for a long time and just looked at him. Diego was just about to tell her that he was kidding and he didn’t mean it when she nodded. Hesitantly, she padded over to his bed and Diego stopped breathing when she crawled into bed with him. She burrowed herself under the covers and curled into a ball. 

“Goodnight,” she whispered. 

Diego blinked and just looked at her for a long moment. “Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wonder what Luther is thinking about 😈🤗😘  
> This was the last chapter before they reach the Capitol. Pain train, here we come!


	5. Vanya

Vanya woke up to Diego’s warm body curled around hers. His hot breath fanned across the back of her neck and sent a tingle of something down her spine. Something she didn’t want to analyze. Not when she was probably going to die. 

Carefully, Vanya untangled herself from Diego’s limbs and hardness. She was able to do so without waking him up and Vanya gave a slow sigh of relief as she crept back into her room. There were some clothes for her to change into. There was a white dress similar to the one she was still wearing, but the fabric definitely wasn’t cotton. This fabric felt like water slipping through her fingers. It was designed almost exactly like Grace’s dress but it looked newer and less altered. 

She slowly put it on and brushed her hair out, hoping this is what the Capitol wanted. Better to not exceed or underwhelm expectations. Best to not be noticed at all. 

Vanya went out to breakfast and found that everyone, even Diego, was up and eating. Leonard smiled at her and motioned for her to sit next to him. She glanced at Diego, but he seemed to be avoiding her gaze. It hurt, a little, but she supposed that last night wasn’t really that big of a deal. What she felt pressed against her hip was probably something nature. He’d probably been thinking of some other girl. Someone who Vanya was probably the complete opposite of. 

She sat down next to Leonard and started eating. 

Her fellow tribute continued to ask questions and Luther answered, even Diego grumbled an answer. That’s when Vanya realized he wasn’t drinking. 

Leonard notices that they’re approaching the Capitol and he rushed to the window to look out at the shining city. Everyone followed suit. As the entered the city, Vanya could see people in strange clothes and strange makeup. 

She felt Diego come up behind her and he put his hand on her shoulder. “This is all a performance,” he whispered so only she could hear. “Make them love you now and you have a better chance of winning.”

Vanya nodded slowly and began to wave out at the crowd. 

They grew wild. 

—

The Remake Center was huge and Vanya shrank back into herself when they got past the crowd. She didn’t know what made her do it, but she grabbed onto Diego’s long sleeve and stayed close to his side. 

“Don’t worry,” he said softly. “This part’s the easiest I think.”

He and Luther had to go and Leonard and Vanya were then separated to go to their own styling teams. Venia, Flavius, and Octavia were their names. They barely looked human with their unnatural skin tones and wild hair and tattoos. 

They stripped her down and just talked around her as they ripped the hair from her body. Vanya winced the first time and was glad when they gave her something to numb the pain. She wondered if they did this to Diego and Luther too and if his own team was doing it to Leonard. 

“Boys are supposed to have body hair, dear,” Venia said to the question Vanya had apparently asked out loud. “Girls are supposed to be smooth and presentable. You looked like such an angel when you were Reaped. We want you to look fresh.”

She meets her stylist, a man called Klaus Séance. Based on his accent, Vanya could tell he was from the Capitol, but he didn’t look it. He wore black clothes that, while were exuberant compared to District clothes, were rather tame compared to the other Capitol people Vanya had met. He wasn’t even wearing that much makeup, just some black eyeliner. Klaus told her these were his first Games working as a stylist. 

“I’m sorry you got stuck with District Twelve,” she said. Most people hated working with Twelve because there was nothing really important to their district save for the coal. 

“Oh, I picked Twelve,” Klaus gave her a big smile. My boyfriend, Dave, he’s your fellow tribute’s designer, and I knew we just had to have your district. We were even more thrilled when we saw you. All those possibilities.”

Vanya had no idea what that could possibly mean. 

—

Klaus and Dave had apparently decided that setting her and Leonard on fire was their best option. 

“It’s synthetic fire so it won’t burn you,” Dave, who was just as dressed down as Klaus was, assured. 

“Have you tried this before?” Vanya asked. 

“Nope!” Klaus said with a pop. 

“That’s reassuring,” Leonard muttered. They had dressed him all in black and said that his flames would come off as a cape of equally black flames. 

Vanya was in a white gown and Klaus told her that her flames would be a cape of white. 

“A play on that old myth of Hades and Persephone, if you will,” Klaus said with a grin. “We won’t turn on the flames until you go out so as not to ruin the surprise.”

They headed to their chariot and Vanya saw the other tributes and saw most of them looked far prettier and more elaborate than her. Vanya doubted even her catching on fire would get anyone to notice her. 

“You okay?” Diego asked as he helped her to the chariot.

She had almost no idea how to walk in the heels Klaus had given her. “I’m nervous,” she admitted. “What if I look like an idiot out there and they all hate me and I make Leonard lose?”

Diego stopped and cupped her face in his hands, careful not to ruin her makeup. “You won’t look like an idiot and no one in their right minds could possibly hate you. They’re going to love you.” She felt like something went unsaid. “You said you were nervous. Here, this is a trick Luther taught me during my Games.” He let go of her face and took her hand, opening her palm upward. He began to trace letters onto her palm with a calloused finger. “Write ‘people’ on the palm of your hand and then eat it. It’s based on some trick from across the ocean.” He finished writing and looked up at her through his dark lashes. Hesitantly, Vanya pretended to eat the word and did feel a little calmer. “It’s going to be okay,” he said quietly before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I promise.” Vanya nodded and Diego slowly helped her onto the carriage and put his hand over hers. “They already like you, Vanya. It won’t be so hard to make them love you.”


	6. Diego

Diego watched the big screens silently as the chariots came out in order of districts, which meant Twelve would be last. It was their first official outing as Tributes and Diego knew how important first impressions were. 

He remembered his own chariot ride. He’d been dressed like a coal miner covered in soot and ash. He’d scowled almost the entire time, glaring at the Capitol citizens for being the reason he was there. 

Patch had done much better. Her large smile and big brown eyes shone through even the soot they covered her in. The crowd had liked her well enough. Diego could almost say that they loved her. She had blown kisses to the crowd and waved specifically at children. 

She’d done well in everything in the lead up to the Games. Everyone, even Diego, had high hopes for her winning. 

But no. 

He’d been the one to come out victorious. 

He’d been the one left haunted. 

Diego chewed his thumb nail as District Eight’s chariot rolled in. 

Four more to go. 

“Calm down,” Luther whispered. “They’re filming is too.”

“They’ll just think I’m critiquing everyone else.”

“No they won’t. You aren’t scowling.”

Diego scowled at him. 

“Now you are, but you look worried and you shouldn’t. They’ll be fine.” Luther put his hand on Diego’s shoulder. “She’ll be fine.”

“How do you know that? We don’t even know if that damned fire won’t kill her.”

“Klaus showed me how it worked and it’s fine.”

“And I’m almost certain Klaus is on one of the Capitol’s newer drugs.”

“He isn’t, you know he can’t be during the Games.” Luther rolled his eyes. “Calm down. They’ll love her. The Capitol already had a nickname for her: White Violin.” Digit glanced up at Luther with an arched brow. “Someone from back home got ahold of a video of her playing the violin for one of the festivals and sent it to the Capitol. It’s a good thing. She has a marketable talent that even the Capitol would want to use. They’ll want her to win.”

Diego sighed before nodding slightly. He turned back to the screen. District Eleven was far enough out that Twelve was able to roll in. He held his breath and lost it when he saw her. 

It hadn’t been that long since she had been standing in front of him, but it felt like ages at the sight of her on the screen. 

A part of her hair was braided into a crown woven with white flowers that, while common in Twelve, were rather rare in the rest of the country. The rest of her hair was loose and curled softly so it wafted behind her on the slight breeze caused by the chariot. Her eyes were smokey, rimmed with white eyeliner and her lips were a freshly kissed pink. Her white gown shimmered in the light and the skirt billowed slightly in the wind, the wind picking it up and trailing behind her beautifully. Then, the white flames unfurled from her back like wings, licking at her bare shoulders and flowing back against her dress like waves. 

She truly looked like an angel. 

The crowd erupted. 

They went wild. They were screaming and cheering. They threw flowers as they passed calling out to them as though they had already won. 

At first, Vanya looked surprised and then a little nervous. Then, she smiled brightly and lifted her hand to wave at everyone. She waved to the crowd and they cried even louder. Then, Vanya took Leonard’s hand and lifted it into the air. 

Diego could hear the announcers talking about unity and pride in representing their districts, but Diego could only watch her. 

Luther had been right. They loved her. 

They loved her and they didn’t even know her yet. 

She just might win. She just might make it. She just might get to go home. 

The ceremony finished and the tributes made their way off their chariots. 

Diego stiffened when he noticed the other tributes glaring at Vanya. The worst thing about being loved by the crowd was that it made you more easily hated by the other tributes. 

He barely had time to think before he saw Vanya stepping off. Their eyes locked and she smiled so brilliantly it almost brought Diego to his knees. Her fire had extinguished and she looked only like a bride now. Diego wasn’t sure if Klaus knew it but a flower crown of those particular flowers were a common accessory for brides back in Twelve. 

Vanya ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. Diego wrapped his arms around her waist to carry on her weight. She nuzzled into his cheek and neck. 

“It worked,” she whispered, her breath ghosting against his flesh. “I wasn’t afraid.”

Diego closed his eyes and set her down, not letting her go. “You did so well,” he whispered back to her. “They loved you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to TRY and post every Sunday.


	7. Vanya

Vanya held onto Diego. 

She had been truthful when she told him that she hadn’t been too afraid during the opening ceremony, but she still felt nervous, especially when she was going to be so close to people. She was out of her dress and heals, which she was thankful for, but the dress she was wearing now was still white and her hair was long and loose, the flower crown still in her hair. 

The Capitol citizens were screaming for them as they exited the stadium. Bodyguards and rope were placed between them but they were still surging forward. Pushing so close to her and the other tributes and the mentors. Diego growled when someone grabbed Vanya’s arm and pulled her closer to him, but not before shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. He kept her close and shoved his hands at cameras that came too close and blocked their view of her. Vanya ducked her head against him until they got into their car that would take them to the Training Center. 

Vanya offered to give Diego his jacket but he just shook his head. She shrank back into herself and glanced out the window of the car, looking at the city as they drove by. She glanced at the others in the car and saw Luther looking at her. Vanya thought he might look away when he realized she had noticed him watching, but he didn’t. So, Vanya looked away instead. 

—

Vanya went out to the balcony before she went to bed. It was amazing, being so high up. She supposed it was one of the perks of being from Twelve. The sound of the door sliding open came from behind her and Vanya glanced back to see Diego walking in, drink in hand. 

He noticed her and paused. “It’s a juice. No alcohol.”

Vanya smiled. “Do you not like the Capitol’s?”

“No, it’s pretentious. Gives you the buzz of alcohol without any of the fun side effects.”

“ _ Fun  _ side effects?”

“Blacking out.” He sat down next to her. “Can’t sleep?”

“I just wanted to see what it was like out here. I’ve never been up so high.”

“Are you scared?”

Vanya shook her head. 

“Patch hated heights. She refused to come out here when we stayed. Said I was crazy for wanting to step out here.”

It was strange hearing him talk about Eudora Patch. No one really talked about past tributes back home. It was a painful thing for everyone. No one talked about Eudora especially because everyone knew she was the reason Diego began drinking. It was one thing for all of them to watch her die on their screens, it was another for him to see it in person. 

Vanya felt a knot form in her stomach. “Diego?”

“Hm?”

“What…” she took a shaky breath. “What is it like to kill a person?”

He looked at her sadly. “It never leaves you. The Capitol likes to pretend that we do. They parade us around not thinking about the blood on our hands. It never goes away. It might get better, but it never leaves you.”

Vanya scooter closer to Diego. “I don’t think I can do it.” He looked at her. “I don’t think I have it in me.”

“Vanya.” She looked at him. “You have to try. You have to fight.”

She looked away. “You should focus on Leonard.”

“I don’t care about Leonard.”

“And you care about me?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Aiden was my friend. He’s not here to protect you, but Luther and I are.” Diego cupped her cheek with his hand and brought her face down to kiss her forehead. “We’ll get you through this. I promise.”


	8. Diego

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: Diego is going to think some things that I do not agree with. He’s a victim and he’s blaming himself for what the Capitol makes him do.

Diego pulled away and rolled onto his side. The Capitol woman next to him sighed and sat up, reaching over to fix her makeup and hair. Diego cleaned himself up and started to get dressed. The woman bounced to him and wrapped her arms around him. 

“Next year then?” she cooed in that accent that made Diego’s ears bleed. 

“As always,” he gritted out.  _ Not a chance.  _ If Vanya didn’t win the first thing he would do would be to drink all the alcohol he could before hanging himself. 

The woman pouted and went to her beauty desk, or whatever it was called, to continue to fix herself up. “Hurry up, my husband will be home soon.”

Diego said nothing and just left. 

He wasn’t like Luther, who the Capitol loved and ate up like a celebrity. He had the clean polished look that made people see him as untouchable. Diego, on the other hand, was dirty and men and women of the Capitol loved to pretend they were dirty too when they were with him during his brief stay in that hellhole. It meant nothing to them and it meant nothing to him. 

That was wrong. 

He hated it. He hated the way they kissed his skin and told him that he made them feel good. He hated the way they made him do this every year. He hated that he was nothing but something to pick up and throw away until they were interested. 

He hated how it made him unworthy of someone pure like Vanya. 

He hated how the Capitol had taken everything away from him and it was trying to take away the one thing he had left. 

—

Training was going to be the worst this year. 

He wouldn’t be able to be in there to protect Vanya if he needed to. The other tributes would either see her as a threat because of her popularity with the crowd, or would see her as an easy target because of her lack of skills. 

At night, on the balcony, Diego spent his time training Vanya to throw. She needed to keep her distance. Distance would keep her safer. Vanya was a quick learner, but he still worried. He worried that it wouldn’t be enough. 

Diego told her as much the night before her photoshoot. 

“You’re doing more than most people would,” she said quietly. “I’m hopeless.”

“Don’t say that.” Diego cupped her cheeks in his hands. “You are not hopeless. You have a chance.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “You have a chance.”

—

Vanya looked beautiful in her promo shoot.

She was dressed in white again and she looked so pure and untainted. The taste of another man’s cigarettes burned in Diego’s mouth and he hated it. Hated the way his skin crawled and how he felt cowed at the vision of innocence that posed before him. 

“I think Diego should pose with her,” Klaus said to the photographer. “He’s known for his black color pallet. It would make a pretty impression.”

“I’m not dressed for it,” Diego said gruffly. 

“I designed what you’re wearing, so you should be okay.”

“The whole angel of music and death would be a good concept,” the photographer admitted. 

They forced Diego to pose with Vanya in varying ways. Some of them felt inappropriate. The way they made him lie back on the couch with Vanya reclining too, between his legs, back pressed to his chest. Diego had to think of a lot of unsavory things as to not make Vanya uncomfortable. Then there was the way they wanted them to stand with Diego’s arms wrapped protectively, more possessively, around her, with his lips to the back of her neck and his eyes almost glaring at the camera. 

If he didn’t know it would get Vanya in trouble or make her upset, Diego would have strangled Klaus for the suggestion. 

—

That night, Diego awoke from an intense dream with a grunt. He went to the bathroom and took an ice cold shower. Hating himself even more. 


	9. Vanya

Vanya was the last person to be evaluated by the Gamemakers. She watched as everyone left and then didn’t come back after their evaluation. She wondered how the others were doing. She wondered how Leonard did. She wondered how she would do. 

She wanted to make Diego and Luther proud. She wanted to get a good score for them. Diego had told her to try to get as high a score as she could, but warned her about getting the highest score. It would isolate her from the other tributes and put a large target on her back. 

When it was her turn, Vanya stood up and went to the room where they had been training. The Gamemakers were in their little platform above her and they watched her like she was a mouse that was worthy of barely any interest. 

She went to the throwing knives. She had gotten quite good with them under Diego’s teaching.  It also felt like a part of him was with her when she held one in her hand. 

“Vanya White,” she said hesitantly. “District Twelve.”

The person she assumed was the Head Gamemaker waved her off and she supposed that meant she needed to start. Vanya went to the targets. She tossed one dagger in the air and caught it, figuring out its ballance. She then threw it but it didn’t hit the center of the target and Vanya’s heart sank. She glanced at the Gamemakers and she could see how bored they were. 

Vanya turned back to the target and threw again, this time hitting dead center. She threw another knife and it lodged itself in the center as well. She grinned and looked up at the Gamemakers, hoping they would look at least a little impressed, only to find they didn’t care about her anymore and were focused on the wild boar with an apple in its mouth that they had been given to eat. 

They hadn’t seen anything. 

This decision would affect her place in the Games. It could help decide if she was going to live or going to die and they cared more about the pig and the stupid apple. 

Without thinking, Vanya took one of the larger knives and threw it at them—it was their fault for not thinking to put up glass. The knife went through the apple, causing it to explode on impact and the knife lodged itself in the wall. 

Everyone was silent for a moment and the Gamemakers turned to look at her. 

All the anger she had quickly turned to fear. What had she done?

She gave a quick curtsy. “Thank you for taking me into consideration.” Vanya left as fast as she could. 

What had she done?

—

She had somehow gotten the highest score out of everyone. A 12. When she had told Diego and Luther what she had done, Diego had gone as pale as death while Luther thought it was hilarious. 

But that didn’t matter anymore, now they were getting prepped for their final interviews and Vanya was nervous. The Capitol seemed to like her, more so after the pictures of Diego and her were released. But what if she said something stupid that made them hate her?

Klaus was putting her in a white dress again, although there were faded veins of black around her heart as though there was nothing there. He told her there was fire in the dress again and she would just have to twirl to show it if she wanted to. 

“You don’t have to, but I would love it if you did,” he told her with a wink. 

She did the trick that Diego taught her every so often, hoping that it would make her brave. She needed to look brave. Looking vulnerable now would make her a target to the other Tributes. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Diego that helped her get into the car, it was Luther. 

“We need to talk,” he whispered in a low voice as they climbed into the car and no one else would hear them. 

—

She went last again for interviews. 

“You know her as the Girl of Fire,” the host said with a bleached smile. “But we also know her as the Angel of District Twelve: Vanya White!”

Vanya came out hesitantly and the applause and cheers were so loud she in her head that it buzzed into a dull silence. She sat down and looked out amongst the crowd. She didn’t know these people. None of them cared about her really, except for maybe Klaus and Dave but they might not actually be in the crowd. They might be backstage too. 

She glanced at the host and realized he was looking at her. 

“I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly. “What?”

He and the crowd began to laugh, which made Vanya’s cheeks turn a bright pink.

“I suppose someone’s a little nervous,” the host said, and he sounded almost kind. He turned back to Vanya. “I said that was quite an entrance you made at the Tribute’s Parade the other day. Do you want to tell us about it?”

Vanya looked down at her hands and then up again. “Well I was just… hoping I wouldn’t burn to death.”

The audience began to laugh and Vanya looked out at them again. Did they think she was joking? She was being serious. 

“When you came out in the chariot,” the host continued. “I have to say, my heart stopped.” He looked back out to the audience. “Did any of you experience this?” Some whistled and cheered. He looked back to Vanya. “My heart stopped.”

Vanya decided to smile.  _ Make them like me _ . “So did mine.”

Everyone laughed and Vanya let her smile grow. 

“Now tell us about the flames. Are they real?”

“Yes.” She looked out to the audience and then back to the host. “In fact I’m wearing them today. Would you like to see?”

The crowd roared with approval. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” the host said holding out his hand to calm the crowd. “Is it safe?”

Vanya smiled and laughed. “Yes.”

The audience began to cheer and Vanya stood up and began to spin around. The skirt of her dress caught fire and fluttered around her feet and danced with the frightening beauty that most fire had. She continued to spin and the crowd went wild. Vanya stumbled slightly and the host helped her sit back down. 

“That was really something,” he said. “Thank you for that.” He leaned back, “So, Vanya, tell me, is there a special boy back home?”

“No, not really.” She felt her cheeks turn red though. 

“No? I don’t believe it for a second. A beautiful girl like you? Vanya, tell me.”

“Well… there is this one boy—M–man really—that I’ve had a crush on for forever. But I don’t think he really noticed me till the Reaping. It was my last year to be Reaped. I’d planned on telling him after the Reaping.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what, Vanya, you go out there and you win this thing and when you get home, he’ll have to go out with you. Right folks?” The crowd cheered her on. 

_ Make them love you _ , Luther’s voice echoed in her head.  _ Make them remember we have a life outside of them.  _

“Thanks, but I don’t think winning is going to impress him.”

“And why not?”

“Because Diego already won his Games.”


	10. Diego

“Because Diego already won his Games,”

His breath caught in his throat at her words. He stared at the screen with wide eyes. What… what was she saying?

“Are you saying you have a crush on Diego Kraken?” the host asked. 

Diego watched as she turned even redder and nodded. “He would come to the shop I work to almost every day. We would talk sometimes and he was always really kind. He said he would see me after the Games, like he always does.” Diego could see unshed tears forming in her eyes. She smiled at the host. “I don’t know if I’m good enough to win this, even with the score the Gamemakers gave me. I’m just happy I got to… be here with Diego.”

He glanced at Luther who was standing next to him and found him smirking. Diego clenched his fists. What the hell had he done?

“Perhaps you have a chance to be happy after the Games,” the host said. 

Vanya’s smile brightened and Diego’s heart clenched. “I hope so. I mean, he might not like me that way, but you’re right. Maybe if I win, maybe I’ll have a chance.”

—

Vanya’s interview finished soon after and she returned to the back of the stage. She went to Diego immediately and hugged him, pressing her face to his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” he heard her whisper. 

“It’s okay,” he told her, holding her close and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s okay.”

If the citizens of the Capitol loved Vanya after the parade, they were obsessed with her now. They crowded around the sidewalk that led to the car they would take back to the center. They were taking photos and screaming for him and Vanya to answer questions. Diego wrapped the side of his jacket around her, pulling her under his arm. He covered her face with his hand and helped her get in before closing the door behind them both. 

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. 

“It’s okay,” he assured her, glaring at Luther who acted as though there was nothing wrong. 

The second they got to the privacy of their floor, Diego let his anger out. He punched Luther squarely in the jaw.

“What the hell did you tell her?!” he roared.

Luther got up easily and wiped the blood from his now busted lip. “I gave her a better chance of winning.”

“How is that a better chance of winning?”

“The Capitol doesn’t think about our lives after the Games until we win them. Vanya’s given them an idea of what her future could be and what she might lose the chance to have because she was forced to take part in the Games.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that she’s not just a tribute anymore,” Luther shouted. “Now, to them, she’s a person. She’s a  _ person  _ people will want to win.”

“I agreed to do it, Diego,” Vanya said quickly. “Please don’t be mad.”

Diego pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not made. I’m just tired.”

—

The television played as they ate dinner. 

Luther had been right. The Capitol devoured the supposed love story between him and Vanya. They played clips of the two of them walking together, of Diego’s obvious protectiveness of her. They showed BTS footage of their photoshoot. They’d even somehow gotten a clip of Diego visiting Vanya while she was working back in Twelve. What annoyed him the most, though, was that there was a video of Diego carrying Vanya to bed on the train and then Vanya going to Diego in the middle of the night. 

Damn it. 

They looked good together. 

—

That night, Vanya snuck into his bed again. 

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. 

“It’s okay. I know things can get scary the last night before the Games.”

“What did you do?”

“Tried to do whatever I could. I thought I was going to die after all.”

“What did you do?”

Diego thought for a moment. “Patch and I got stupid drunk. We’d never had the money to drink before. I suppose it was the most outrageous thing we could think of at the time.” Vanya curled into his arms and Diego wrapped them protectively around her. “What about you? What do you want to do if this is the last night you have?”

Vanya looked up at him, her face rubbing against his chest as she did so. “Kiss me.”

Diego was almost certain his heart stopped. “What?”

Vanya’s cheeks turned red. “I’m sorry.” She looked down, pressing her forehead to his chest. “Forget I said that.”

Diego hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him again. “Why?”

“I’ve never been kissed before. I… I don’t have that many people who care about me back home. I’m… I’m sort of a nobody. You… you care. And… and I want to know what it’s like to be kissed by someone who cares.” Even though her face stayed where it was, her eyes shifted from his. 

“Is that all you want?” He asked, his voice rough.

Vanya turned a little redder and shook her head. 

“I can’t give you much more than a kiss.” No matter how much he wanted to. “But I’ll give you all that I can. Okay?”

She nodded, her gaze returning to him. 

“Tell me if you want to stop and I will,” he told her. 

“Okay.”

Diego pressed his lips to hers. He wouldn’t go any further than she wanted him to, but he wasn’t going to cross a certain line with her. Vanya opened her mouth slightly to his, her tongue darting out carefully, brushing against the seam of his lips. He cupped her face in his hands and deepened the kiss, tasting her, drinking her in. She moaned slightly against his mouth, gripping his shirt tightly in her first. Diego rolled on top of her and she sighed, feeling just how much he wanted her. 

He couldn’t risk crossing a line with her, but he would take it as far as she wanted him to. 

Because tonight might be the last night he truly lives too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they did not have penetrative sex. I’m just saying that now. There isn’t a chance for Vanya to get pregnant. That’s not a thing that’s going to happen

**Author's Note:**

> Come see me on tumblr at fromtheboundlesssea
> 
> feel free to message me about anything! I even have mood boards (of sorts) to my fics!


End file.
